A Second Chance, for Better or Worse
by Crush48
Summary: Mileena died. Or at least she thinks she did. She finds herself having awoken in Shang Tsung's flesh pits, it's master absent and the pits nearly abandoned. She plans to head for the Outworld Palace to find out what happened to her and maybe find the reason for her now intense hatred of all things relating to bugs. (Rating may go up due to language and violence later)
1. Second Chance

Pain!

All there was to feel was the intense sensation, never going away. She tried to claw at her own face, but to no avail. Where were her own arms? It felt as if she didn't even have arms to even try. The feeling wouldn't go away, that unbearable feeling, like acid constantly being poured from above! Why wouldn't it stop!?

Then it suddenly ceased. She couldn't feel anything at all. But that didn't bother her in the least. The pain was finally gone and that was all that mattered. She tried to remember-What was she trying to remember? The very act of thinking seemed difficult to do. She couldn't look at anything to jog her memory, for she couldn't see, strangely enough. She also felt like she was floating. Where were her legs? Did she ever have legs to begin with?

The fact that she didn't know was a little frustrating, and even more grating was the fact that she _should _know. But it felt like trying to remember only made it that much harder.

She tried to figure out where she was, but she had no sense of direction, no frame of reference to even go off of. She felt no gravity pulling on her and couldn't even tell if she was moving.

Perhaps if she stopped thinking about it and waited?

...

How long did she wait? Was it merely seconds, or minutes? Or even years?

But she pushed that out of her musing. She could hear something, finally.

It sounded like flames. It never bothered her before, but now she had the niggling feeling she didn't want to be anywhere near flames. The fear felt irrational, but the feeling was almost overpowering.

As the sound of the flames became that much louder, coupled with the far off and almost surreal sound of cries of pain, numerous in number, the anxiety began to intensify, as if she knew what those sounds meant.

But then, the cries began to fade, and so too did the sound of crackling flames. Apparently, she must have been moving, somehow, for she felt like she was being pulled somewhere else. Although the anxiety steadily began to fade, she felt like she was _supposed _to have been going where those flames and pained cries were coming from.

* * *

**Shang Tsung's flesh pits-**

This underground location, infamous due to it's owner, was long abandoned, thanks to the sorcerer's untimely death. No longer were new genetic experiements being conducted, but it was still inhabited by the flesh pits guardians, mutated, gruesome looking beasts tasked by the late Shang Tsung to protect it's secrets.

The main entrance from the pits into the vastness of Outworld was tidy looking. The floors were covered with metallic tiles, and small tables in seemingly random locations, topped with candles were now unlit, the flames put out from neglect. The further in one would go into the pits, the less Spartan the interior appeared, with the walls becoming more cavernous in appearance, as well as the ground, though metal flooring was still present in a pattern that was only understood by the lab's creator.

In this area of the pits were large vertical tubes, large enough to fit a single average sized person each. The tubes were about eight feet tall, not including the foundation they stood on. In the leftmost corner of the room sat several tubes, about six or seven in number, each containing a body, somewhat floating in some liquid that might be water, but was a darker blue in hue. All of the bodies were female and they did not move at all. They were unbelievably still, possibly brain dead, but very much alive.

One of these figures twitched suddenly. A finger flicking at nothing, and then the wrist jerking in a random direction. Not long after an arm, then a leg. The whole body twitched violently, and the eyes, which were closed, snapped open.

The woman opened her mouth to breath, but belatedly realized there was no air, only the strange liquid inside the tube. She looked around quickly, banging her fists against the glass, the need for oxygen intensifying. With nothing to lose, her feet joined in the effort to attack the casing along with her hands, putting as much force as she could into her swings, as much as she could manage with the drag from the liquid.

It was several moments later when the casing began to crack, and liquid seeped from the glass as if in a hurry to escape. A couple more strikes against the casing, and the fluid streamed through like a sprung leak.

And finally, one more strike.

The glass finally gave way. The fluid burst through like an angry tidal wave, and the woman found herself falling. The fluid carried her right out of the tube like a temporary carriage and she landed somewhat roughly on her stomach.

She coughed violently, and eventually water forced it's way out through her throat and out of her mouth. Her breaths came in quick and in short gasps, as if hungry for the now abundant oxygen. After her breaths steadily began to calm, she looked around again, slowly this time, using her senses for what weirdly felt like the first time, although she remembered what it all felt like. Perhaps Deja Vu was a more fitting term.

Swallowing, she propped herself up on her hands and knees, steadying herself before attempting to stand. Her legs felt weak, although she remembered walking before, however long ago that was. Finally feeling brave enough, she stood on her feet, instantly regretting it. A wave of vertigo assaulted her and she staggered. The floor looked very inviting as she tried to prevent herself from collapsing back onto the ground. Flailing her arms, she managed to grab onto a nearby table, although her knees still gave out on her. Quickly, she examined the table and realized her arms were covered by a fabric. She turned her hands about, seeing some skin that wasn't covered by what she assumed were probably bandages and noted that it covered her body in places as well.

The next thing she did was feel her face, touching her forehead, and chin and the side's of her head, feeling what felt like teeth, but it was on the outside rather than the inside of her mouth. The front of her face felt different. The teeth were much smaller there, but still sharp, like fangs, and were behind the lips. Oddly, the fangs that she could feel on the sides of her face didn't feel at all out of place, like they were supposed to be there.

She then closed her eyes, momentarily, letting herself concentrate, and focused on her own breathing. After about half a minute of doing this, she stood on her feet again. This time, she managed to stand without any further complications.

"Where am I?" she asked aloud, not really expecting an answer from anyone, but mainly to hear her own voice. It sounded familiar. That was good wasn't it?

"My name is..." she began, pausing in thought. It was on the tip of her tongue...

It was Kitana, wasn't it? No, that wasn't it. She felt like she knew that name, and very well, but it didn't feel quite right.

"No, it was...is Mileena," she corrected herself. Yes, that sounded about right. But what was she doing here? She instinctively knew this was a lab of some sort, but she couldn't recall what the place was called or who it belonged to.

Her breath hitched in her throat. She remembered something. Something important.

She had died.

She felt like she should have been more surprised at the realization, but she couldn't be bothered to shout or show any other obvious sign of surprise.

"Who was it..?" she demanded, the question being said aloud without a real purpose. She wanted to hear her own voice again. It felt like it had been a while since she'd spoken. As she tried to think of anything before the tube she broke out of, she wandered the room, looking for anything to wear. The bandages weren't uncomfortable, but it was improper to just walk around with only bandages to cover herself, right?

Now she remembered. Bugs. She didn't know why yet, but she really hated bugs. Of course, she had to have always hated bugs, but something about insects seemed to make her angrier than she remembered. Maybe the reason for that would resurface soon enough. She decided to let the thought go once she spotted a wardrobe. She pulled on the handle, her grip lingering even after she opened the door, savoring the feel of her hand simply touching something.

Forcing herself to remember what she was doing, she wrenched her gaze from the wardrobe's door handle to the articles of clothing hanging inside the container by their collars.

None of the attire really looked appealing. They all looked like simple robes with pants and a sash. Frowning, she pushed the clothes to the side, trying to see if there might be anything different. There was one, it looked identical to the rest but was more purplish in color. She couldn't explain it, but she liked the color purple, gripping the fabric, and removing it from the wardrobe.

Without hesitation, she removed the bandages before putting on the robe, then pants, before tying the sash around her waist. Idly, she scratched at one of the larger teeth that framed the side of her face, before heading to where she knew the exit would be. The first place she would look for for answers would be the Outworld Palace. She began to walk, wondering if Kitana would be at the Palace right now. Perhaps she could explain what happened.


	2. Amnesiac

**Outworld Marketplace-**

During her long trek to Outworld, Mileena had time to reflect on all of her scattered thoughts. Chief among them were people she wanted to speak to, that she was sure she'd met before. Most of them were simply faces in her mind's eye, but she couldn't yet remember the names that belonged to most of them. However, the faces that stood out most were those of a man in a headdress and another in violet colored light armor.

"Who are these people?" she asked herself. They seemed to hold some significance, but what was their relationship to her? She knew nothing about them, yet she could recall their faces quite clearly. It felt as if there was some information she _should _know, but there were some blanks where a memory was supposed to be. Was this some sort of side effect from awakening in that lab? She still couldn't quite remember what actually occurred for her to end up there. But one thing she was certain of was she had indeed died.

After some time walking, and possibly tiring out her legs, she finally neared the vendors and market stalls that lined the dusty road within the marketplace. Almost every mechant she could see was engaged with a customer, advertising some article of clothing, a weapon, or a trinket. She came upon one of the many weapons stalls, realizing she had no weapons on her.

The stall was stocked with weapons of all sorts from daggers to war hammers. The merchant manning this particular stall hadn't yet noticed her, as he was occupied engaging with another customer. She paid the merchant no mind as she looked over the more mobile friendly weapons laid out on the counter top. The only weapon that caught her eyes were a pair of daggers, each one containing a prong on either side of it's handles projecting outward in curves. Unthinkingly, she gripped one, instinctively twirling it in her hand as if she had years of practice.

"You are interested in those, I see?"

Mileena paused in her silent admiration of the nostalgic weapons, turning to look at the vendor who had spoken. She wasn't sure what it was, but there seemed to be a gleam in his eye, but it was gone before she was sure it was even there. He suddenly coughed courteously while dropping eye contact and breaking the awkward silence that Mileena unwittingly created.

"If you wish to acquire those, I will offer a small fee of just 6 koins," he ventured. A friendly smile was upon his face, and his eyebrows were hidden under the fringe of his bandana, protecting his head from the sun's heat. Patiently, he had his hands folded in front of himself at the waist, awaiting her response.

"I...don't have any money," she seemed to only just realize this. She never had a need to buy anything and the concept of having koin on her person sounded almost foreign. As a matter of fact, she didn't remember ever just exploring a road like this without expecting to be executing a target of Shao Khan's.

"Well," the merchant said after making a sound as if thinking. "You go ahead and take them," the merchant said after some apparent internal deliberation. Mileena looked over the Sais once more, then back to the merchant.

"You are sure?" she asked, somewhat uncertain about his sudden generosity. The man waved off her confusion, as though eager to conclude business.

"It's fine, it's fine. You look very interested in them. You go and take them," he assured her.

"Thanks," she said, turning to make her way towards the palace again. She hesitated, nodding her head to him once before leaving. She did not notice the merchant wave over one of the many guards stationed along the road.

* * *

The half Edenian had minutes ago sheathed one of the Sais in between her sash and the fabric of the clothes she wore, while studying the other in both hands. Some images were coming back to her from looking at the dagger, none of them connected to an individual. It felt like years of training were coming back to her as she analyzed the contours of the triple pronged blade. How to wield them, how to defend, attack, and even how to twirl them. All the experience of Kombat she was recalling didn't extend to just the Sais, but to situational awareness as well. That's why she found her eyes narrowing, the yellow irises of her eyes appearing more intimidating and calculating. Four men, whom she recognized to be guards were tailing her.

Why were they following her? Wasn't Shao Khan waiting for her? For some reason that didn't sound right in her mind. She was missing an important detail. Something that felt like it would jog most if not all of her memory.

The closer she got to the palace, the more the crowd of people in the road seemed to be thinning out. This wouldn't have seemed strange if it wasn't for the fact that the vending stalls looked abandoned too. The Wooden built counters still had items on display, lending to the idea that this section of street, only several feet from the Palace's steps, was evacuated, and recently.

Slowly, she looked behind her, observing that the guards were the only other people present. It was a group of four, standing in a formation that would block her from retreating if she dared to. She looked in front of her again quickly, sure that she could even _smell _hostile intent a distance ahead of her, though she could not see who or where it was emanating from.

Without wasting another second, she stopped in her tracks and unsheathed the second Sai from her belt, twirling both of them in such a way she couldn't remember where she learned it from. She gripped the handles tightly in her hands, pointing the weapons at the guards behind her, who had stopped suddenly and pulled out their own weapons, consisting of swords or axes, all finely maintained and looking as though they could make mincemeat of anything it came in contact with.

"You need to come with us," the lead guard, slightly taller than the other three ordered. "You match the description of someone we need to bring in for questioning," he added, as they all began to slowly advance towards her.

"Who gives you the authority!? Do you know who I am?" Mileena snarled back, growing angry at the traitorous guards. They were obviously not enforcers of Shao Khan if they deigned to attack his daughter!

"Traitors. I'll bring all of you before Shao Khan!" she threatened. The guards paused in their advance to glance at each other before looking at her, as if _she _was the one that grew a second head.

"Well?" Mileena challenged, not having dropped her guard for a second. To her surprise, they began to advance towards her once again, readying their weapons.

She growled low in her throat before stalking towards them in return, twirling the Sais in her hands again, so that the blades would now end up facing towards her and guarding her arms.

* * *

_I know this chapter is short, it is 11:43 pm at the time of this upload, and I simply feel sleep deprived and can't visualize a decent fight scene. I'll have more to offer in the next chapter for sure. Please leave suggestions on what you'd like to see and review. Thanks._


	3. The Emperor

Mileena exhaled forcefully. The four guards continued to advance towards her, although not in a rush after her little display of twirling the Sais in her hands. They all neared the woman in unison, the two with Axes taking the front, while the other two with swords were right behind them, ready to assist.

The first axe came down, in attempt to cleave her shoulder right off. She raised her arm up, the Sai's blade the only object in between the Axe and the flesh of her arm. The impact stung for sure, but it was better than getting dismembered. Her attacker needed only half a second to raise the axe again and close in for another swing, but it was half a second too late. The half-tarkatan thrust her blade forward, the longest of the three prongs breaking through the skin of his shoulder, instantly paralyzing his left arm. The axe dropped to the ground unceremoniously and she followed up with a pivot of her body, her leg colliding with his helmeted face so quickly, it seemed as if the protection wasn't even their. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"Who's next?" she asked mock sweetly. The remaining guards watched her warily, unnerved by how quickly their comrade was felled. Mileena would have killed him then, but as she was outnumbered, it would take too long with just the weapons she had on hand. It was best to probably neutralize them, as much as she wanted to kill them immediately.

The remaining three guards rushed her at once, no longer going for caution, in an attempt to make her drop her guard. The remaining axe wielder thrust his weapon forward, an unconventional technique with that type of weapon, and it succeeded in making Mileena hesitate for just a short instant. She sidestepped out of the way of the blade before being shoulder tackled from behind by one of the other men. Two blades came crashing down towards her from either her front and back, and she thrust her Sais upward, blade first.

The spaces in between the prongs of her weapons caught the swords in mid-swing. Without hesitation, she thrust her arms inward, wrenching the swords right out of the mens' hands, following it up by kicking the man behind her in the stomach, making him double over, stunning him from the burst of pain. The other guard took advantage of her lapse in focus to charge at her and tackle her to the ground. Mileena managed to brace herself, planting her arms in front of her, but it was a mistake to perform. The last standing guard now had the upper hand, managing to take hold of her wrists, and tying them with some sort of rope.

She was disgusted at how quickly it happened. There was no way she should have been overpowered that easily. She glared at her captor, venom in her eyes, as he moved away to help his comrades to stand. One thing she was thankful for was that they didn't seem keen on taunting her now that she was captured.

She still couldn't believe it. She was sure that she saw him charging at her, but yet she panicked and didn't react correctly. Scathingly, she blamed her body, theorizing that maybe it lacked the muscle memory she had before death. She looked behind her again from her spot on the ground, watching the three guards who were now standing assist in moving their one unconscious friend to rest by the wall out of the way of the road.

The man who had gotten the drop on her had picked up his sword that she had disarmed from him earlier, resheathing in a scabbard that hung from the side of his belt, possibly made from leather or some tough animal skin. He suddenly spoke to her, and she realized he was the one that tried to arrest her a while ago.

"We simply wanted to question you, but seeing as how you started a brawl in front of the palace, you will be answering to the emperor."

Mileena rolled her eyes as the man roughly picked her up from the ground, and she bucked at him. He flinched somewhat, a bit disturbed by the animalistic fangs protruding from the sides of her face, amusing her.

"_You _are taking _me _to the emperor? What kind of game do you think you're playing?"

The man did not answer immediately, having glanced behind him to see two of his comrades picking up the unconscious guard and half carrying him as they followed behind him. He turned back to the woman, who was now sneering at him. He began to walk towards the Palace staircase, holding one of her arms and making sure that she was in front of him, as he didn't want her to try biting him. He wasn't sure, but he was sure he'd someone like this woman before.

"Shao Khan is not the emperor," he said simply, avoiding eye contact with the criminal. He wouldn't allow her to know, but her eyes were very intimidating to look at, especially after her display of combat skill. He was under no illusion that her capture might have had some dumb luck involved.

"What did you say?" she demanded, but her voice sounded a lot smaller than it did moments ago. They were now inside the palace, and the temperature indoors was much more comfortable than the ridiculous heat outside.

"Why did you fools try to arrest me anyway?" she continued, the weakness in her voice having disappeared as though it was never there. Her captor sighed quietly enough that she wouldn't hear.

"We weren't, until you tried to attack us," he answered, not bothering to give any more information. There would be no point. Kotal Khan's laws were very...rough, to put it lightly. This woman tried to attack multiple guards. Doing so much as stealing from a merchant was subject to death. This poor lady wouldn't live to see tomorrow, he predicted. Not that he sympathized much with her. She seemed all too eager to attack him and the other guards.

They suddenly stopped walking, stopping just short of a pathway into another room. Mileena could hear the muffled sounds of dialogue, disappointed that she couldn't hear father's voice within the space. Her captor's words confused her and made her a bit angry. How dare he say that Shao Khan wasn't the emperor? She wished to bite the flesh from his neck the moment he said it, but the man seemed to have the foresight to keep her in front of him.

The man holding her nodded his head to one of the guards behind him, who quickly returned the gesture and walked inside.

Mileena, the man holding her arm, and the guard behind him supporting the unconscious man who seemed to be coming to waited patiently. Suddenly, they heard a booming voice within the room, a resounding "WHAT!?"

The guards might have feared their messenger was killed, but that worry was put at ease immediately, when he returned to them unharmed, nodding his head once to signify they could enter.

Mileena wanted to resist in any way possible as they forced her into the room, but she was genuinely curious as to who this 'new' Emperor was.

Once they turned the corner into the walkway, they were in a new room, the walls lined with open windows that gave a clear view of Outworld's capital. The floors of the room were tiled much like the rest of the palace with the room painted in some grayish-brown tint. Much of the place she could tell was renovated and she got a strange feeling of nostalgia although not recalled ever seeing the new renovations, such as columns and walls that hadn't been there before. The room was effectively a wide open space. The flooring in this room was covered in the center of the room by a simple rug, and a throne was situated behind it, against the wall.

Seated on the seat of authority was a man with one of the faces she could remember. Even though he was not standing, Mileena could tell that he was tall and possibly quite imposingly so. His body seemed to be painted in some sort of ritual war color, making his skin take on an almost metallic bluish green tint. And he was also wearing that headdress she could recall clearly in her head.

"Mileena," the man said slowly, his voice laced with an unknown accent and it's timbre carrying a warrior's confidence. It was the same voice that had that outburst only moments ago. The captured woman was a bit put off that he knew who she was, but not vice versa.

"Where is Shao Khan..." she ventured, ignoring pleasantries and getting straight to the point. The man seated on the throne did not respond immediately, only waving his hand in dismissal at the guards. With a respectful bow of their collective heads, they retreated from the room, leaving only Mileena and the apparent Emperor as the sole occupants.

Suddenly, the man stood, and Mileena tensed instinctively, though he did not make any aggressive movements. He slowly walked around her, not breaking eye contact, and Mileena did not dare to be the first to drop her gaze. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, he came to a stop in front of the throne, but did not sit.

"I was under the impression that _D'Vorah _had killed you," he deadpanned, folding his arms in front of him.

Mileena didn't know who this D'Vorah was, but he sounded disappointed, and it seemed there was more to it than the fact that the character had failed to execute her. She filed the name away to recall later. Apparently, that was her killer. But that was not what was on the forefront of her mind.

"What gives you the audacity to sit upon the throne of the emperor?" she demanded, annoyance mixed heavily into her voice. No one was answering her questions, and she was really getting irritated with the lack of response from pretty much everyone she'd met today.

The stranger in front of her merely stared at her, as though she were making an inquiry that did not make sense.

"I am emperor," the man said evenly, without emotion. "Your father is dead."

"Preposterous!" she retorted, taking a threatening step forward, but did not dare move any further than that, remembering that her wrists were still tied behind her. The 'Emperor' hadn't so much as flinched when she stepped torward him.

"How do you yet live?" he asked after a pregnant pause.

"I'm not inclined to answer your questions, traitor," she nearly spat the last word and was suddenly unsure of what to do with herself now. The man in front of him could obviously be lying about Shao Khan's demise, but then again, he couldn't possibly be standing here in front of her. She wouldn't be in this situation in the first place, the more she thought about it.

The emperor lightly shook his head as if he was tiring of some drawn out game. "I would have you executed yet again," he began and Mileena snarled at him.

The man stepped in front of her, studying her face. Mileena glared back, refusing to lower her gaze or be the first to break eye contact.

"You don't remember..." realization dawned on him and he held his chin in one hand. "Somehow, you have been revived, but your memory hasn't," he continued, turning his back to her. "You were clearly executed, yet here you are..."

"Tell me, you do not know how you continue to exist?"

Mileena kept silent with a scowl, but they both knew that she didn't know. The usurper only smiled, genuinely looking amused.

"I will not kill you today, but be forewarned, if I see you again..."

"Or you'll what?" Mileena challenged harshly, struggling to break the ropes that bound her wrists. While she did not want to leave the palace grounds without taking this traitor's head with her, she knew there was nothing she could do.

"I will honor you with death," he said without hesitation.

"If Shao Khan is truly dead, that throne belongs to _me_," she warned, gritting her teeth, revealing the smaller but still sharp teeth behind her lips.

"I will allow you to live today, construct. It seems fate finds it fitting that you escape death," he stated, seating himself back on the throne. "Do try not to get captured again. You and your comrades have already suffered the consequences once. Don't convince me to punish you twice."

This action was seen as a great insult to Mileena, and at that point, evene with her wrists bound, she wanted to bite into his neck and rip out his throat. Before she could make more than two steps and make good on that intention, she was suddenly grabbed by two guards, probably the same one's she'd fought outdoors, before getting half-dragged out of the room, and eventually back to the palace entrance, shouting insults at the guards and the false emperor.

Unceremoniously, the two guards threw her from the top of the steps. She landed with a thud, seething at the pain in her right arm, that she landed roughly on. The damned guards hadn't even bothered to undo the binds on her wrists.

Returning to the palace was not an option at this time, lest she wished to die again, so she had to figure something else out. Who could assist her in deposing the traitor? As she stood up with some difficulty, she forced herself to recall a name to attach to the image of the man with the violet colored armor, but nothing was coming up. She shook her head in irritation, stumbling a bit before walking, with no clear destination in mind. Staying by the walls of houses, she kept on the lookout for any object she could use to cut the rope.

Who could she look to for help? The purple armored man was out of the question. She didn't know who he was or where she could possibly find him.

"Where are you, sister?" she asked herself after brief hesitation. Mileena could remember Kitana's face very clearly. It was identical to her own, although it lacked the feral teeth that rested on the sides of her own jaws. That simple fact seemed to anger her somewhat, but she ignored the feeling.

Before she could figure anything out, she would need to find somewhere to rest. As she continued to walk, one house had a metal gate, which she used to force the rope to cut. The section of street she was entering had crowds of people, so she attempted to look as nonchalant as possible while breaking the binds. She would indeed get revenge on that usurper.

Speaking of traitors, she needed to find more information on this _D'Vorah_. If she was her murderer, she'd have to repay the favor. Noticing something in the corner of her eye, she looked downward at the ground. A beetle was slowly making it's way past her foot, possibly to it's nest or to retrieve food.

She crushed it underfoot, grinding her shoe left and right on the ground. She scoffed before continuing on her way.

* * *

_A/N: I'd love to hear any suggestions people may have for the story onwards. Please Read and Review :) I am still learning how to write effectively, so please be honest with any critique you may have on my writing style. Eventually, I want to have much longer chapters than this, but I'm not ready just yet, lol._


	4. Deadly Alliance

The _Rusty Dagger _was no less than what she expected of a place of lodging in Outworld. The building's exterior was made of brick and the interior consisted of finished wood, giving the place a homely but simultaneously dangerous air about it. Inside, the frankly dingy looking lanterns and aged lamps that dotted the walls were dinly lit, so it would be somewhat difficult to pick out faces from a distance. Something Mileena could appreciate at the moment.

But that isn't what she was referring to.

It was the building's occupants.

_Scum. All of them, _Mileena thought with disdain, glancing briefly at two men situated close to the center of the large tavern, who looked overly-muscled and probably looked as stupid as they seemed, prepared to arm wrestle, while every other occupant in the smoke filled building sans the Barkeeper were either trying their best to get intoxicated by assortments of alcoholic drinks or cheering on their favorite arm wrestler for the next few minutes. The environment seemed to be balancing on a thin line between the calm usually assoctated with a place of rest and an all out brawl, as if one small thing could set off a massive bar fight to interrupt the relative peace or likeness to it.

Although the building was probably entirely filled by criminals and other ne'er do wells that couldn't possibly care less about her background, coupled with the dim lighting, Mileena felt compelled however, to cover the lower half of her face. She did not want a repeat of her humiliation merely hours ago, effectively being evicted from her own palace by that excuse for a _Khan__._ It would be best to simply not be recognized, especially in a place where you couldn't trust anyone as far as you could throw she'd gotten some rest, she would demand answers from her sister, wherever she was.

She would have to remember to find a mask or some cloth of a sort to veil her teeth, which seemed to have gotten her in trouble in the first place, she idly thought, absently picking at the wooden finished bar table with a finger nail. The place was obnoxiously loud, with background music of some foreign origin blaring and in turn making the chatter of the tavern's patrons speak much louder than necessary.

To either her left or right was an Outworld denizen of some sort, with physical attributes that earthrealmers often associated with demons or mythical creatures. She couldn't quite make out the facial features of any of them from her seated position, as most of them were quite tall. But there was one individual who looked non-descript save for a wide brim hat and two weapons that looked a lot like earthrealm guns. He was seated a small ways from her, legs propped up on a table, as he seemed to idly fiddle with one of his weapons.

He would have looked out of place in his surroundings, as he was undeniably mortal, but there was something about his demeanor that exuded a quiet confidence and authority, that no one paid any special attention to him. To Mileena, it was strange, as he seemed too comfortable in this building known as an asylum to outlaws even by Outworld standards.

Her curiosity at the sight was only temporary however, as her attention returned to the small spot of table she was picking at. So as not to draw attention to herself, she waved the bartender over, ordering a glass of water. Truthfully, she wanted wine, but she wasn't sure about her alcoholic tolerance having only been "alive" less than two weeks. While the bartender poured the glass of water, Mileena found herself staring at the strange man with the guns. She was once again having that strange feeling of deja vu, as though she should be aware of who the stranger was, but she was once again to her annoyance, drawing a blank.

Or at least, she would have, before an unexpected and very anticlimactic realization hit her, as if remembering some long lost detail. She blinked rapidly, refocusing her attention on the glass of water that now sat on the counter in front of her. Drinking it hadn't crossed her mind, the environment having made her lose any appetite or thirst she might have had. However, she was going to keep an eye on the gunslinger, it was no doubt that he had some answers that she was looking for.

* * *

Several hours had passed and the gunslinger had already retired for the night. Apparently, he had been renting a room out of the tavern, and seemed to had been doing it for a while, even though he was free to roam the Outworld Palace.

He must not have been very trusting of the new Emperor, which came to no surprise to her, but Mileena would have laughed if she wasn't focusing on keeping silent. If he had been in the palace tonight, or really anywhere but here, she never would have run into him. She wasn't going to let this opportunity slip by her. Once it reached the late night hours, foot traffic began to lessen, and she followed the cowboy into his room after patiently waiting at least an hour. It was easy enough to get in, by simply picking the lock with found objects around the building like a loose floorboard screw and a toothpick. She'd confiscated his guns from under his pillow and had placed them behind her on a dresser. Her arms crossed, she waited for the man to wake, so as not to alert anyone.

When he did awake, he didn't jump in surprise as one would expect to react to a home invader. Instead, his eyes rolled in what looked like annoyance above his partially masked face.

"I didn't know you slept with your mask on," Mileena ventured, arms still crossed.

"I do recall having given you the option to find out a long time ago," he retorted almost boredly as he slowly sat up from the bed.

"Don't bother," Mileena warned, noticing his arm snaking towards his pillow. "They're not there. And I could kill you easily."

"Well, shit."

He sighed, scratching his head and cracking his neck.

"You're supposed to be dead," he deadpanned. Both his hands rested at either side of him as he sat, and for all intent and purposes the two almost looked like old friends catching up.

"_I _ask the questions, filthy, traitorous beast."

A pregnant pause.

"You seem upset, Mileena."

"Yes, well, betrayal has that effect on me, Erron," she retorted almost conversationally.

"You're still sore about Kotal Khan, huh?"

Mileena resisted the compulsion to strangle him right then and there, and instead asked him a question.

"Where is D'Vorah?"

"Oh, I see what this is about," Erron nodded, leaning forward just so to rest his elbows on his knees. "What's in it for me if I tell you?"

"For starters, my teeth won't be found in your skull."

"Thanks for the mental image," the gunslinger said, shaking his head lightly in annoyance. To think anyone would get the drop on him this morning, and by a dead woman, to boot.

"I'll tell you on one condition," he added, standing up slowly.

Mileena did step forward this time, prepared to mutilate him. "If you don't tell me where she is, I will chew through your jugular!" she threatened with a low growl, her more bestial set of teeth having been on display the whole time. She grabbed him by the throat, managing to at least cause the man to flinch at her speedy movement.

"And then what, wandering around not knowing where she is?" he reasoned. To his credit, his voice hadn't wavered, and he only seemed to be caught unawares by Mileena gripping his neck. She curled her upper lip in distaste, pushing him backwards onto the bed, back into a seated position.

"What's this condition? It better be good enough to allow you to live," Mileena turned her back to him,

"The condition is, I'm coming with you."

"...What, why?"

Erron stood up again, lightly rubbing at his throat and none too discreetly ogling her while her back was turned.

"One, I wouldn't get paid. Two, you'd probably try to kill me after just giving away the information to you." Mileena turned back around, her head cocked to one side in confusion.

"Of course, money is more important to you than self preservation," the half Edenian critiqued, clearly unimpressed with his attitude. "Fine."

Erron shrugged, reaching for his armored vest and scarf. His armored vest he grabbed from the closet to his left behind the bed, the scarf already draped over it.

"I gotta ask, how'd you find me?" he queried, clicking the straps that held his grenades into place over and around his vest.

"Coincidence," she replied, not bothering to elaborate.

"Hm."

"You first," she ordered, opening the door. Erron gave her a tired look before stepping through.

* * *

_A/N: I saw the reviews. I know I've annoyed some of you with the slow update. I've been getting documents prepared for a second job, so I haven't been able to schedule time to do any writing. I got that stuff out of the way now, though, so updates should be a bit more frequent now. Apologies for that. _

_Please read and review and I would love some constructive criticism, as I am still learning to write. _


	5. Finding Your Goal

A/N: I know it's been a minute since I've uploaded a chapter. I had been thinking of what to type, and I had been doing some writing in a notebook before coming up with this. From what I've seen of Erron and Mileena dialogues, Erron probably served as a hired gun for Mileena and I thought their exchange was humorous in-game. So yeah, Erron's tagging along.

* * *

The sun hadn't risen yet when the two exited the tavern into the still quiet marketplace. It remained dark out, and the merchant stalls and storefronts were currently unmanned and closed, respectively. Mileena had taken to pacing back and forth slowly, while Erron finished analyzing a map in his hands.

"So?" Mileena inquired into the silence as the both of them loitered at the side of the building. She was either too lazy or not caring to finish the query. Erron knew what she was asking and simply hadn't responded immediately or acknowledged that she'd asked anything. He pocketed the map and swept his right hand across the barrel of the gun he gripped in his left, seemingly satisfied as it rolled with no friction. It was well oiled and at perfect functioning capacity.

"Well," he finally spoke, lazily twirling the gun with practiced ease, before it found it's way into his left gun holster on his vest. "D'Vorah's in Earthrealm."

The gunslinger could hear the former Empress' grating exhale from behind him.

"Earthrealm? What is she doing in Earthrealm?"

"Captured," Erron deadpanned as he began to walk.

Mileena raised a brow although Erron couldn't see it, as he was walking in front of her. "How did she get captured in that detestable realm?" came her question, which encouraged Erron to roll his eyes.

"Hey," Erron began, sounding just the slightest bit insulted. "I'm from Earthrealm," he answered, feeling the need to remind her. In the end, Earthrealm was still his first home, so felt obligated to say it even if he wasn't particularly offended.

Earthrealm wasn't too bad, but it was definitely easier -and more rewarding- to earn coin in his adopted home. Erron would have laughed at the face she made, if he could get away with it of course.

"Doesn't make it any less true," Mileena pointed out, as if his explanation meant nothing. Erron opted not to reply to her abrasive attitude, only shrugging and beginning to walk away from the tavern, Mileena following closely behind.

Both warriors had long since traveled away from Outworld's capital and into the wilderness.

"You still have yet to answer my question," the young woman noted imperiously as she trailed behind Erron. Besides the obvious fact that she could keep her eye on him, she also felt sluggish after having walked for a while. She didn't want to give the gunman any indication that she appeared tired or out of sorts. And it also helped that hopefully Erron would catch the brunt of any pests like mosquitoes were they to show up. She glided her fingertips across her forehead, attempting to get rid of some of the perspiration.

"What question?" Erron countered, his unconsciously sarcastic voice serving to mildly irritate Mileena. She inhaled deeply before forcefully exhaling.

Ever since they had first travelled into the wilderness, it was obvious to her that Erron didn't seem very threatened if at all, by her presence, so she had given up on threatening him. She couldn't remember _everything _about him, but he didn't seem at all bothered by her previous threats or her demeanor, which she found strangely annoying. He seemed constantly at ease, and she couldn't get a read on him.

"Forget it," she dismissed grumpily, hoping a little more forcefully that he'd gotten bit by a mosquito.

* * *

It had been at least two hours of quiet walking before Mileena decided to complain again. Erron rolled his eyes, although he had to admit he was impressed with her prior patience.

"How much longer, Erron?" the assassin drawled, as if complaining to some old friend and not someone she tried to kill in a previous life. Speaking of another life, Erron was honestly confused about Mileena's return. Needless to say, he'd seen her corpse himself, which left him with a lot of questions. But they'd get addressed eventually, he guessed. It wasn't the first time he'd heard of dead people coming back to life. It seemed especially common to hear about in Outworld. Besides, Mileena wasn't the first person he had in mind to discuss the afterlife with.

"Couple more minute," he stated, almost forgetting Mileena asked a question. No need to unwittingly piss her off, he figured.

Erron unconsciously waved his hand in front of him in an attempt to ward off bugs, and snuck a glance behind him. His travel partner wasn't paying him any mind, but was turning a Sai in her hand over and over again, as if expecting it to look different if she examined it long enough. Although she was focused on her weapon, she seemed aware enough of her surroundings to follow behind him without issue.

"You _do _know where we're going, right?" Erron asked, mainly to strike up conversation to break the silence. He faced forward again before Mileena would realize he was eyeing her. The foliage had begun to get thicker since their trek into the wilderness, but not quite enough for him to have to resort to using his Machete, to his relief.

"No," Mileena sighed dismissively, as she was quite content with the silence.

'Anti-Social', he observed silently. 'Well, at least more than usual.' But he guessed anyone wouldn't be the same after coming back to life. Except Scorpion maybe. That guy seemed like he always had a chip on his shoulder. Shaking his head, he wrenched his thoughts from supernatural ninjas and ressurections, and returned his attention to the as of now, one-sided conversation.

"Raiden's Temple," he clarified. "Or at least, I think it is," he amended, tapping his mask where his chin would be with a finger. "You'd be surprised how many temples there are just sitting there in places like these," he mused aloud. Mileena hadn't replied immediately, having taken to studying the environment as they treaded through the now vanishing road that was giving way to grass and plants. Had she been here before? The particular area of forest seemed familiar and gave a weird sense of Déjà vu, similar to when she visited the Outworld Palace.

"There's no location closer to us that can take us to her?"

"Well, there's Outworld Palace, but I doubt you'd want to try there," Erron retorted sarcastically with a well-meaning shrug. The Edenian scoffed.

"And you think knocking on the Thunder God's front door will produce better results?"

Annoyingly enough, he only shrugged _again_. Before she could start an argument, they began to near a large clearing in which sat a large structure, the actual entrance a fair distance in altitude, thanks to the -in Mileena's opinion- quite ridiculous number of steps that lead to it.

"Besides, Erron added. "Raiden'd be less likely to kill ya on sight, yeah?"

The grassy ground gave way to a stone pathway that appeared to be in slight disrepair due to nature. They began to ascend the steps, something Mileena was peeved about. Her body still seemed to tire out faster than normal and her legs were burning, as if she hadn't exercised in months. She felt out of shape.

However, she grunted in acknowledgement of Erron's theory. She couldn't really disagree, but it didn't explain Kotal's, behavior. Why didn't he kill her a second time? What game was he playing?

She had been reflecting longer than she thought, because they'd reached the top of the steps and the edge of the temple courtyard. She belatedly realized Erron had been staring at her.

"What!?" she nearly snapped, though her fit of anger did nothing to startle the man.

"Nothin'" he dismissed, cocking his head to the side in thought while folding his arms. "You seem to do a lot of thinking lately," he stated frankly. Mileena broke eye contact, not offering a retort. Perhaps she didn't want to acknowledge that she seemed out of sorts.

"We'll wait here," she said instead, taking a seat at a bench that lined the wall that led to the temple's front door.

"You're the boss," he acquiesced, not hesitating to sit next to her.

"Don't call me that," Mileena ordered, still untrusting of the mercenary. Erron didn't say anything but folded his arms. He didn't bother asking why she didn't just walk in and use the portal. It didn't matter to him as long as he got paid at the end of it all, so he didn't bring it up. And breaking and entering probably wasn't the brightest idea right now. Would Mileena have thought this far ahead befor? He remembered her being much more impulsive than this. What had really happened when she died? He glanced to his right briefly. Mileena had her arms folded and one leg crossed over the other and looked to be studying the ground in front of her.

He hoped this little adventure proved to be interesting. He was sure Kotal wanted a word with D'Vorah as well. He looked ahead again, hoping he was right about Raiden and he wouldn't shoot lightning first and ask questions later.


	6. Ulterior Motive

A/N: I wanted to upload this to let you know this story isn't dead. It took me forever to figure out how I think Raiden would react to Mileena and Erron trespassing on his temple's grounds, especially after he's become all dark and slightly more aggressive in personality.

* * *

It had occurred without warning, so sudden was it that neither of the two travelers could react properly. The beam of light, or rather pillar of lightning dissipated as quickly as it formed. What was left in the center of the courtyard was a figure of a man standing where the lightning had struck seconds before. His back was turned to them. Residual sparks of lightning still saw fit to dance around his form as well as his wide brim hat.

Erron and Mileena stood up quickly.

"Erron Black. Mileena." His tone didn't sound at all like a greeting, as if he simply acknowledged their presence. He turned around, face obscured by his hat before lifting his head.

"Thunder God," Mileena said slowly. If she had remembered anything, she definitely remembered what what Raidenwas supposed to look like. The deity in front of her didn't look very friendly, especially with his eyes glowing from some dark energy. She was fairly certain his eyes weren't always yellow, or that there seemed to be a faint smell of death about him.

"Raiden, you do something with your hair?" the gunslinger queried, his hand hovering just so over his pistol. His travel partner was also on edge; she could smell the change in weather in the air, even though it remained quite sunny. Raiden's appearance particularly caught Erron off-guard.

The Thunder God glanced briefly between Erron and Mileena, although it was hard to notice, as opaque as his eyes were.

"You are not welcome here," he stated with finality. "Shinnok is no more and I will not tolerate further provocation," he reminded them, as he fingered a strap on a satchel he was wearing, except for Mileena, it wasn't just a reminder.

"Shinnok's defeated?"

Erron glanced sidelong at her brother returning his attention to Raiden. He'd have to find out how much she didn't remember.

"Something has pulled you from Netherrealm," Raiden muttered thoughtfully, after a pause. He raised his hand as if about to say something, but shook his head , remembering that they were trespassers. "Leave this sanctuary."

"You know what brought me back?" Mileena asked regardless of his warning. Raiden didn't answer, but the narrowing of his eyes betrayed his wisdom.

"Tell me!" she nearly growled, taking a threatening step towards Raiden. "I know that Kotal is privy to something about what happened to me but won't divulge that information." She calmed down considerably after her initial outburst, choosing her next words carefully.

"I need answers," she added, doing her best to look Raiden in his blank eyes.

There was a palpable silence in which Erron glanced between them warily. And then Raiden spoke.

"No."

The resolve and simplicity of his answer caught her unawares. She looked away momentarily, as if thinking.

"Look, Raiden," Erron intervened, raising his hands in a pleading gesture. "We're here to collect D'Vorah."

"D'Vorah is in Earthrealm?"

Erron and Mileena quickly shared a glance. Apparently, Raiden wasn't made aware of that bit of news.

"As you know, she's a high profile target for Outworld's Emperor. She's under Kotal Khan's jurisdiction."

Raiden blinked and put a hand to his chin. It was obvious he was mulling over what he was just told.

"Why would they bring her to Earthrealm?" he mumbled to himself. He sighed, his gaze lingering on Mileena just a second too long. She knew what it meant and she narrowed her eyes in challenge.

He didn't trust her.

"I will make this clear. I trust neither of you," he began, straightening his back as if to emphasize his point.

"Any _actual _news?" Erron retorted boredly, which would have goaded a chuckle out of the former empress any other time.

Raiden ignored the slight and continued. "_I _will handle D'Vorah. As I've stated, leave this sanctuary."

"I'm not leaving until I have D'Vorah's head in my hand!" Mileena retorted quickly. Erron imperceptibly shook his head, not at all impressed with the lady's foolish attitude.

"I think we better just do as he says," the man ventured, beginning to find using the portal at the Palace a more viable plan.

"Let us pass, Thunder God. I'm not afraid to _make _you move."

Raiden slowly shook his head as if witnessing a child with a temper tantrum. "You overreach in challenging me," he replied, a hidden threat in his words.

"You will help me regain my throne," Mileena insisted, unsheathing the Sais from the folds of her sash. At this point, electricity danced around Raiden's arms, as if ready to leap forth at any moment. He raised his fists in a stance, prepared to attack her.

"I will not be embroiled in Outworld's matters!"

"Then you are my enemy!" The former Empress threw one of her weapons at Raiden, it's blades prepared to impale the Elder God in the shoulder.

"Dammit," Erron cursed under his breath. He wondered if he should recant his statement about Mileena not being as impulsive. This was pretty god damned stupid, if his opinion was worth anything, he thought.

Raiden thrust his hand forward, arcs of lightning leaping from his fingertips to strike the sailing weapon, forcing it to the ground. Mileena continued to charge at him, hoping to catch him off guard by throwing her remaining Sai. Raiden responded the same as the first weapon, striking it down with lightning and prepared to defend against Mileena as they engaged in unarmed combat.

Erron meanwhile was aiming down the sight of his pistol, struggling to get a good shot at the Thunder God, but it seemed that throughout the other two's deadly dance, Mileena kept jumping in and out of his line of sight.

"Dammit," he cursed again, preferring to stay at range from Raiden. He kept his aim up, hoping that Mileena would move out of the way long enough for him to get a shot off.


	7. First Step

A/N: I wanted to upload this to let you know this story isn't dead. It took me forever to figure out how I think Raiden would react to Mileena and Erron trespassing on his temple's grounds, especially after he's become all dark and slightly more aggressive in personality.

* * *

Briefly, she wondered if provoking Raiden was a good idea. At all. She had forgotten that her body was not as well trained as it used to be. Much like one who knows the technique, but their body had not caught up with the knowledge. She was reminded of this nearly as soon as she pivoted her form in order to guard a sidekick from the Elder God.

Hissing in pain, she reeled at the force of his foot colliding with her arm. It felt as if she hadn't fought a day in her life.

In order to create distance between them, she swept her leg under him, effectively throwing the Thunder God's balance off. However, he went with the fall and instead landed on his hands and kicked his feet towards the Edenian's center, launching her bodily off the ground. She found herself flung through the air and she brought her arms and knees toward herself to minimize the damage. Sliding aross the ground, she rolled to her side instinctively, wincing at the feeling of her arms having scraped the pavement. It was fortunate that she had, as Raiden had leapt towards her previous position, stomping his booted foot _into _the ground. Mileena nearly cringed unthinkingly, as the Elder God's display kicked up particles of dust and left a deep impression in the ground where his foot was.

If she hadn't moved, she would have been...Mileena chose not to think about her brush with a too soon second death, and instead charged once again towards Raiden. She advanced towards him with her palms opened, striking at him with her hands positioned like knives, swinging at all vital areas in the neck. Her swings were deflected and blocked, and Raiden responded in kind with a mix of palm strikes and the occasional punch reinforced with lightning.

While it was already difficult enough defending against his strikes, each punch he performed with the help of lightning was enough to nearly break her guard each time. Each shock from his punches reminded her that she should have bothered to acquire some sort of armor before traveling to the temple.

Raiden threw another punch, stepping forward and reinforcing it with his shoulder. With a cry, she landed roughly on her back, shutting her eyes in an attempt to distract herself from the pain. Blinking them open, she saw that Raiden was already on his feet, nearing her with slow steps.

"You've cheated death once. You seem eager to forfeit your chance," Raiden observed with disdain. He began to gather energy in his hand before a shot rang out, disrupting the Elder God's concentration.

"Sorry, finger slipped..." Erron said in mock apology, his deadpan tone not matching his statement. He held his gun close to his waist, his hand hovering over the top of it. "C'mon Raiden. This is a win-win for you. Let us collect D'Vorah, no more Outworlders in Earth Realm. Everybody's happy," he bargained, keeping his eye on Raiden's raised arm. A staring contest of sorts ensued, and Erron swallowed nervously, although his stance exuded a confidence he wasn't necessarily feeling at the moment.

Raiden didn't immediately answer and he didn't drop his hand either.

Mileena merely scoffed, grunting as she forced herself to her feet. "Why do you block me, Raiden? You would stop me from avenging my own death?"

Raiden seemed to study Mileena momentarily before finally dropping his arm and then folding them in front of his chest.

The momentary silence was deafening and Erron kept his gun pointed at Raiden, prepared for anything.

"Fine," the deity finally said. Erron allowed himself an exhale of relief, and after short hesitation, quickly holstered his gun with one deft movement.

"I will allow you to retrieve D'Vorah. The portal will be located in the innermost chamber," the hatted man decided, nodding his head toward the temple. He paused, as if considering his words. "You have seven days. Don't make me regret my decision," he added, pointedly turning his gaze to Mileena. She didn't say anything this time around, mildly surprising Erron, but the disgusted look on her face conveyed what was going through her mind.

"Do not let me catch either of you here again."

With the threat made clear, Raiden thrust both hands upward and a pillar of electricity seemed to rush towards him from the sky, darkening the area momentarily. Both Erron and Mileena blinked.

He was gone.

The sun was visible again and the clouds cleared almost instantly, revealing a quite sunny atmosphere. As if the Thunder God hadn't even stopped by.

Erron watched the sky for a few short seconds before walking over to the former empress, offering her a hand. Mileena glared at him as if he'd grew a second head. Without hesitation, she roughly shoved his hand away and got up on her own, suppressing a pained groan while trying to inconspicuously cradle an injury on her side.

"I don't require your pity, _Erron_," she spat, angry at her perceived weakness.

"Bein' dead hasn't done much for your attitude..."

"What did you just say?" Mileena challenged, curling her lip at Erron and displaying the sharp teeth that hid behind her lips as well as the ones in plain sight. Erron only shook his head lightly, muttering a "nothing," his arms raised in a non-aggressive gesture.

Satisfied that he didn't seem keen on arguing, she turned away imperiously, heading for the interior of the building.

"Why did I decided to do this again?" the mercenary questioned himself sarcastically. "Something worthwhile better come out of this," he said to himself, his voice fading as he entered the building.


	8. You Forgot Your Bag

A/N: Just letting you know this story is not dead.

* * *

**Special Forces Detainment Center - US East Coast**

Although the location was a detainment center in name, it was only just erected less than a year before. Additionally, it's construction was tailored for only one prisoner.

Because of the prisoner's unique physiology, the prison was situated in the middle of a large body of water, a good distance from the US coast. The water currents leading from the prison to the coast's landmass would be channeled with electricity. This would keep foreign entities from trying to swim between this current of water.

The prison itself was not very large. It was about the size of a small house, containing several rooms, although the detainee was confined to a single room, albeit a very large one. These extra rooms, all containing a monitor of some sort and led to the prisoner's room, were blocked off from it by a transparent but electrically charged vertical film membrane, high enough in voltage to stun but not lethal enough to kill if one attempted to pass through it.

Due to the center's foolproof measures against unauthorized escape, personnel weren't required to physically be present to monitor the site except for scheduled maintenances. Today was one of those days, and the front door produced a clicking sound before being followed by an approving sounding beep, allowing two figures wearing military gear entry. They stepped inside without hesitation, the taller one carrying a duffel bag over his shoulder.

"Alright, Cass, we'll make this quick. Just routine maintenance, and we're out of here."

"Don't need to tell me twice," the woman enthusiastically answered in reply, heading to one of the rooms containing computer monitors. Johnny nodded, although he knew that his daughter couldn't see the gesture anyway and headed towards the room containing one of the people he wasn't keen on being within 100 miles of.

Readjusting the bag's strap on his shoulder, he stepped through the center hallway, inhaling through his nose and then exhaling through his mouth. He hesitated only for a moment before pulling his shades out of his pocket and sliding them on. The hallway was bare in design, save for the metallic floor and paintings hung along the walls, which seemed quite out of place in what was essentially a Spartan building. Finally, he exited the hallway, nearing the thin film that separated him from his most recent would be killer.

Setting the duffel bag down on the floor, he made a point of not looking up and focusing on the control panel off to the side next to the transparently blocked doorway.

"Why so quiet?" the voice asked conversationally as he reached to open the duffel bag. The voice sounded tinny and sounded like it was constantly accompanied by the sound of an insects beating wings. Johnny sighed forcefully, hoping this would be the one time he could work in peace.

"Sorry," Johnny said, not being able to help not getting the last word in. "I don't talk much to people who send bugs to eat my face," he made a show of shrugging apologetically, before rolling his eyes and pulling a tablet like device out of the bag. He kneeled down, plugging the device into the terminal, tapping his thumb against the screen as he waited for it to boot up.

"Oh, this one thought you tasted quite good, actually," the prisoner observed casually, and Johnny looked up to glare only to see her slowly glide her tongue across her upper lip. Johnny narrowed an eye in distaste, upset that she managed to continually disturb him, wishing he hadn't moved his attention from the screen. It wasn't her looks that fully unnerved him. In fact, he would have thought she was exotic -in a creepy way- but that was the farthest thing from his mind, taking into account recent events.

"Can you blame this one for wishing to talk?" She asked, almost sounding sincere. "I don't even have the luxury of those objects you call televisions."

A beep from the device in his hand gave him a welcome distraction and he looked down to see the screen lit up, waiting for him to input commands for the forcefield's maintenance.

"How long will this one be detained here?" she asked after the brief silence that Johnny wished would have continued. He guessed she wasn't satisfied that he was attempting to ignore her. He only shook his head, annoyed that she seemed so at ease having the nerve to hold a conversation with him.

"You know what?" Johnny replied. He pressed a series of buttons on the tablet's screen. "I don't know and I don't care," he explained. "If the government wasn't retarded, they'd have killed you by now," he muttered the last sentence.

The government against all common sense, arrested D'Vorah and had her transported to this prison in _Earthrealm _of all places. If Johnny had his way, he would have released her to Kotal Khan. He's pretty sure she'd have been executed by now if Kotal knew exactly what part D'Vorah played in the just averted Armageddon. But no, the government wants to study her anatomy for science. Probably to make better guns. Johnny lamented much of humanity's common sense. It seems to go missing sometimes right after a crisis situation.

Though it wasn't necessary, he looked up again out of caution, noticing that D'Vorah was still seated on the metallic bed, one leg crossed over the other and one hand folded over the other, her alien eyes staring at him as if _he _were the one in the cell, a predatory smile on her face, broadcasting her amusement.

"This is usually the prologue to an alien invasion movie," he said aloud, relieved to find that the maintenance was now complete. It was time for him to get the hell out of there.

"Uh, dad?" another voice sounded from behind him.

"Oh, boy," the man muttered in reply to Cassie's worried voice. He hoped she wasn't about to say what he thought she was going to say.

Cassie watched D'Vorah warily for a moment before kneeling next to her father.

"Monitor's picking up that portal activity that Special Forces like to keep an eye on..."

Johnny pinched his nose.

"Let me guess, between Earthrealm and Outworld," he sighed, already knowing her answer.

Cassie sucked her teeth. "Yeah."

"Shit." He quickly placed the tablet back into the duffel bag and turned his head towards his daughter. "What location did it give?"

"New York City."

The elder Cage frowned as he looked away. New York City was the worst place for some outworld jerk to cause trouble. Especially if it was someone more humanoid and subtle than say, a Tarkatan.

"Alright, looks like we're sightseeing in New York. He stood to leave and paused, craning his head towards D'Vorah.

"Don't go anywhere, 'kay?" he asked sarcastically. He continued on his way, Cassie following after a quick glance over her shoulder.

D'Vorah continued to smile, her neck twitching in a bug like manner and her smile only grew after spotting the left behind duffel bag.

* * *

A/N: I had a SERIOUS writer's block. But this story isn't dead.


End file.
